Win, lose or draw, Dane Coles will get in your face and tell you what for. Pablo Matera is cut from the same cloth.
The All Blacks put together their best display of a tumultuous 2022, in Hamilton today, to put up a half century of points and avenge
last weekend's loss to Argentina.
Tries from Ethan De Groot, Caleb Clarke and Rieko Ioane [
video below] gave the hosts a 24-3 half-time lead, before Jordie Barrett, Ardie Savea, Brodie Retallick and Beauden Barrett added second half scores to complete the rout. Richie Mo'unga added 14 points off the tee.
The 53-3 victory slightly eases the huge pressure on ABs head coach Ian Foster and keeps his side's Rugby Championship hopes alive, ahead of two games against Australia.
https://twitter.com/AllBlacks/status/1565967611732508672
Pablo Matera faces the Haka
Speaking of pressure being eased, New Zealand captain Sam Cane did just that with his best Test performance in years. The Kiwi's captain was a real talisman and showed up big in a couple of the home side's scores.
"This week we were in the game right from the start and were able to turn that into points so it was a pretty enjoyable night," Cane said, after the match.
"I thought our defence was outstanding. We were able to force them into a heck of a lot of errors but on top of that our discipline was really good so we were able to capitalise on that and counter-attack."
There was a lot of bite in the fixture, given Los Pumas turning over New Zealand on their home patch for the first time ever, last week. Even before the game, the All Blacks looked extra pumped for the Haka, while Pablo Matera had the sort of grin, as he watched, that Owen Farrell pulled off to perfection at the 2019 World Cup.
https://twitter.com/be_assoc/status/1565961267692482560
Dane Coles clashes with Pablo Matera
It soon became clear that the Kiwis were more than ready to set the record straight. They tore into Argentina from the start and raced into a 17-0 lead before Emiliano Boffelli finally got his side on the board with a penalty.
Four minutes before half-time, Tomas Lavinini was sin-binned and Sam Cane opted for a five-metre scrum. When the ball was spun left, David Havili found a charging Rieko Ioane and it was pretty much said and done by the break. By the time Dane Coles entered the fray, in the second half, it was just a matter of Argentinean pride to play for, and if the All Blacks would ease up.
That was never going to happen and Coles clashed with Pablo Matera on a couple of occasions in the final 10 minutes. After New Zealand won a later turnover penalty, Matera had a grip of Coles' jersey as the hooker pointed to his head to let the Argentine know that was where he was residing.
Matera was still simmering after the final whistle and one rugby reporter remarked that Coles was on the receiving end of a 'Buenos Aires handshake' after he got a heart shove.
https://twitter.com/tmurphyNZ/status/1565988731655372800
https://www.instagram.com/p/CiCfckGun0X/
Footage from the All Blacks' Twitter account shows Dane Coles laughing off the Pablo Matera shove as he went on to shake hands with the rest of his Argentina teammates.
To the victor, the spoils. And smiles.
Nick 'Honey Badger' Cummins on an infamous Wallabies night out in Dublin
